Methods of the abovementioned type are well known to the expert. They are used for producing electronic data carriers, for example IC cards. The electronic module connected with the card body in an opening of the card body includes at least an integrated circuit and coupling elements connected electrically with the integrated circuit. The thus constructed data carrier can communicate with a specially provided external device via the coupling elements. Such data carriers have been known for some time and are already used today for example as identity cards, credit cards or check cards.
For example EP 493 738 A1 describes a data carrier produced by the abovementioned method. The data carrier consists of a card body and an electronic module glued to the card body in a two-step opening therein. The electronic module has a carrier film with contact surfaces applied thereto for contacting communication of the electronic module. An integrated circuit is fastened to the side of the carrier film facing away from the contact surfaces, and connected electrically with the contact surfaces. The integrated circuit and connecting lines are surrounded by a casting compound. A film of thermally activable adhesive is furthermore applied to the side opposite the contact surfaces. The electronic module is glued in the two-step opening in the card body by being pressed into the opening in the card body by means of a heated die. Due to the heat the thermally activable adhesive melts, thereby gluing the electronic module to the card body. During the process the back of the card lies on a cooling die.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,620 shows a method for producing a data carrier and a data carrier thus produced. The data carrier consists of a card body in the opening of which an electronic module is installed. The electronic module has a carrier substrate on which contact surfaces for contacting communication are located. An integrated circuit is fastened to the substrate and connected electrically with the contact surfaces. The substrate further has windows for connecting the module with the card body. For this purpose the module is pressed into the opening in the card body by means of a heatable die, causing the card material to soften in the area of the electronic module that is pressed into the specially provided windows of the carrier substrate, whereby connecting the module with the card body
The stated methods for mounting modules in cards are as a rule integrated into a production process in which other method steps are performed both prior to and after the mounting process.
All processes are subject to a fixed cycle time which should be selected as small as possible to optimize throughput. Due to the resulting short cycle time a relatively high temperature must be selected for mounting the module to soften the thermally activable adhesive or card material sufficiently. This results in relatively high thermal loads for the electronic module and for the card material. For example the terminals of the conductive connections are greatly heated particularly on the contact surfaces, which can lead to a weakening of the connections. Furthermore the great heating also causes stresses in the card body material, so that the side of the card body facing away from the electronic module has deformations particularly in the area of the thin bottom of the opening. For the stated reasons the cycle time can therefore not be shortened at will.